An educational leader, researcher, and musician, Ryan’s career has spanned two decades and across four continents. He has worked internationally within the performing arts, business, education, and academic sectors with a particular interest in supporting the lives of musicians who teach.

Ryan recently completed his PhD at the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia, and has received numerous awards and prizes, including the prestigious doctoral scholarship from the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA). His work focussed on teacher identity and professional development, theorising ecologies of education beyond the school walls and leadership for distributed communities of gig economy workers.

Having trained as a pianist and performer, Ryan remains active as a presenter, pedagogue, and music examiner, and was appointed a Fellow of both the Royal Schools of Music and the Royal Society of Arts in the UK. An eternal optimist, Ryan believes in fair access to quality, democratic education and is hugely passionate about the power of music to transform peoples’ lives.